Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series of issue-oriented question-and-answer stories about the upcoming Paterson Board of Education election.

PATERSON – The city’s high school graduation rates have improved steadily over the past eight years, rising from 45.6 percent in 2009 to 87.8 in 2017.

Paterson’s graduates include growing numbers of students who get their diplomas with help from such non-traditional initiatives like credit recovery programs, which allow those who fail courses to get credit through alternative means.

The implementation of such “credit recovery programs” has been a national topic of debate among education experts. Paterson Press asked the people running in next month’s school board election about that issue.

Two of the 10 people running for the full-term board seats – Eddie Gonzalez and Gerard Robertson – did not provide responses. The answers from the eight others seeking three-year terms are below.

Paterson Press: What are your thoughts on the pros and cons of credit recovery?

Oshin Castillo

Credit Recovery has been a point of conversation for many school districts and stakeholders across the state. It was created as a tool to give students a second opportunity. The challenge begins when credit recovery is only used as a means to produce graduates and not offer the rigor that the students need in order to prepare them for college, or for their next step after graduation.

Our students face various challenges every day and credit recovery allows them to overcome that barrier and still pursue their education. It is our duty as a school district to make sure that we are partnering with every students to make sure that they thriving towards success. We also must find the underlying reasons of why they are not achieving academically.

While I do think that credit recovery is an important program to have as a school district, I also think it is a program that needs to be watched very closely that it keeps its rigor and it doesn’t become an easy way out.

Nelly Celi

There is so much pressure for higher graduation rates from the state, that I fear credit recovery will gradually diminish the importance of the classroom. We have seen this in Paterson, yes, graduation rates are higher, the number of students attending college is higher. However some students are graduating reading at fifth or sixth grade level.

How can a short-term alternative cover all the material taught during an entire year? I would recommend an analysis of data, showing the number of credit recovery per year, per school for the past five years to evaluate this program.

I am not in favor of credit recovery, however, I do believe that some students should have this option. As with anything without the infrastructure and the checks and balances, a good concept can be misused for the wrong reasons, leaving our students vulnerable after graduation. The credit recovery offers an alternative way to graduate. But at what cost? Graduating without mastering the subjects does not produce long-term success in college, a trade school, or a job.

Ramon Joaquin

Due to the environment our kids are exposed to in the city of Paterson, sometimes it is hard to focus when at home they encounter unique social-economic issues. Programs like credit recovery is an effort taken to allow our students who fail traditional classes to obtain a second opportunity to regain sufficient credit to graduate through other means.

Credit recovery is an alternative, a second chance, to the existent traditional programs that are offered in our school district. Bringing opportunities that position itself with modern time will help spark the educational drive of an individual, especially those that struggle with the traditional form of education.

During my years as a Knight at John F. Kennedy High School, the only alternative that we had was to retake classes that we failed in summer school. After the implementation of the program, it gives student new possibilities to strive and do better in school. It’s a motivational booster to those that struggle yet have the will to accomplish their goals.

Eduardo Lanchipa

Paterson school leaders are faced with finding different programs for students at risk. With the high dropout rate that our district has been showing over the years, the credit recovery program is one of the safety nets that the district has put in place in order to help maintain the students inside the high schools and provide them an alternative for graduation.

As a Commissioner of the Board of Education in the city of Paterson, I will work with the district administration in an early high school intervention of those students at risk. Identifying those students early on can make a significant different in our graduation rate. We must implement programs that will provide those students with the tools necessary to graduate high school and seek higher education opportunities.

Manny Martinez

Non-traditional methods and initiatives that allow for students to make up work and attain credits have become more prevalent over the last several years due in part to regulations from the state level. These regulations have opened the doors for districts across the state to bring students up to speed with work they may have missed or have failed to complete.

This is not exclusive to the Paterson Public School System. Districts across the state have benefited from this regulation. Personally, I would like to see a more traditional way of students demonstrating mastery in the classroom as opposed to through non-traditional methods. I believe it would be a more accurate way to assess student mastery and attainment of knowledge and skills.

Nakima Redmon

Although the concept of credit recovery isn't new, summer school is the oldest and most traditional form in helping students to graduate on time. Credit recovery programs are an essential part of efforts to increase high school graduation rates throughout the country. These classes are generally shorter than the original class the student either failed or quit. These courses can be completed online, in person or through independent study.

Even as credit recovery has grown into a movement, it hasn't received much scrutiny because teachers have to still ensure that the students are proficient with the course material. If they make classes too difficult, they run the risk of students not showing up and lowering the attendance rate. This can negatively affect the monies our district receives from both the State and Federal government.

Over time we hope to lessen the dependence of the credit recovery program.

Corey Teague

Credit recovery is a subject where there are far more questions than there are answers. The wide variation in program structure could be a good thing, encouraging creative solutions to the dropout problem. However, since so little is known, we cannot identify what works and what doesn’t. Because the concept of credit recovery is so varied and its implementation so malleable, there is little sense of its impact and effectiveness.

Credit recovery is largely a local effort, there is little data available on the rigor or effectiveness of the program. Proponents contend credit recovery allows struggling students to direct their own learning and work at their own pace, a claim which might entice the large proportion of dropouts who cite boring classes or falling too far behind as reasons for dropping out. Skeptics wonder if credit recovery are helping students learn, or greasing the pipeline to graduation. The oversight of how credits are earned varies widely, as some states spell out exactly how credit should be earned and others let individual districts or principals decide..

Melissa Baralt

There are many districts that, like Paterson, have adopted credit recovery. Credit recovery programs allow students the opportunity to retake unsuccessful classes. This approach has been motivated to prompt higher high school graduation rates. The pros to this type of programming is that it motivates second chances and this could be good for student morale. The students likewise can go online and work at their own pace. This can have a positive effect on students that do not learn well in a traditional setting.

The cons for this program can result in a slippery slope that can be viewed by some as promoting low standards. Also, some would argue that the amount of time these classes take do not account for an entire semester. Another con is it might minimize interaction with other peers and that can have a negative social component. Although this could result in good graduation rates the programming needs to be clear and properly delineated to better serve these students.

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